Cancellation of South Lake Tahoe city-led events extended through mid-September

Amid a spike of coronavirus cases and new state-mandated regulations, South Lake Tahoe will postpone all city-led events until at least Sept. 22.

The City Council announced the measure Tuesday after previously planning to resume events — which in years past include the Bijou Bash and the 4th of the July parade — this month.

But now, after California Gov. Newsom announced new rollbacks to combat a rise in coronavirus cases, the postponement will continue, officials said.

“Safety is our No. 1 priority and we know we can’t have large gatherings of people right now,” City Manager Joe Irvin said in a news release. “Council’s decision shows that the city of South Lake Tahoe is taking the health of our residents and visitors seriously.”

Meanwhile, cases in South Lake Tahoe continue surging past the rest of El Dorado County. Officials have linked the rise in cases to an influx of tourists and businesses not following mask and social distance regulations.

But this didn’t stop hundreds of tourists from gathering on the shores of Camp Richardson beach this weekend. Many visitors wore masks and steered clear of others, while others flouted state-issued physical distancing guidelines.

Cases in South Lake Tahoe currently make up nearly half of the county’s cases while representing only 17 percent of the population. Just in the South Lake Tahoe region, the rate of confirmed cases per 100,000 people is now far beyond the state’s threshold for monitoring counties.

Last month, Newsom rolled out guidelines for some activities to begin after June 12 as part of the state’s four-phase reopening plan. Large public gatherings, including concerts and festivals, would only be allowed in Stage 4.

“Without some level of certainty for providing the necessary conditions to meet stage four parameters it is difficult to plan for special events that would attract large groups of people,” officials said.